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Thief 3 Preview Shows Excruciating Detail, Insight
Thanks to EvilAvatar for pointing to an extremely in-depth preview of Ion Storm's PC/Xbox title Thief 3:Deadly Shadows, courtesy of fansite Thief: The Circle. The piece deals with some of the more controversial changes ("Loot glint is there whether you like it or not. It sort of clashed with the look/atmosphere to see this bright twinkling light across the room, but it aids in what has been one of the most frustrating elements in the earlier games: the loot hunt"), whether this is anything like Deus Ex 2 ("No. This game is actually finished at the time of its release") before concluding by noting: "Loot glint and arrow streaks mean exactly zip when you're actually... playing the game... and for once in the history of the series, the game actually looks GOOD." Update: 05/17 16:39 GMT by S : An anonymous reader also points to a detailed retrospective of the Thief series on the delightfully named FourFatChicks.com.
They just didn't look great. However, if the Theif series were simply looking good they would be Quake III. The gameplay is stellar and the fact you don't just hack & slash your way through a level makes it one of the best series of games I've ever purchased. Hell I'll probably buy this for the PC and XBox just to support the franchise (I'll give one to my brother).
i think it's like watching a good movie, only with more immersion in the plot...
The game is supposed to be slow, it gives you the time to think out a strategy to the situation at hand.
Personally (I'm not an elitist or trying to flamebait) I think that strategy/stealth games are for the more intelligent gamers. To each his own I guess.
This is the sig that says NI (again)
Stealth games are slow because the deliberate pacing leads to very high tension situations. Tension is important, because it gives the player a vested interest in the outcome of their planning, and the higher the tension, the more important the outcome of their actions. This makes the player's observation and planning at least as important as their active execution. The danger of discovery and combat in Thief makes it's stealth very high stakes.
If you want more action and less planning, I'd recommend the Tenchu: Stealth Assassin series - where only line of sight contributes to stealth. Tenchu characters are practically Batman (auto-coiling grapple gun included) with Ninja gear. Played very well, a Tenchu game can be practically nonstop running 1-hit stealth kills, but it takes a lot of practice.
Hitman 2 & 3 are also great, if you like elaborately planned right-under-their-noses disguise, environment, and gadget oriented stealth killing. They also gives you the option to go full-guns-blazing if you are discovered.
Stealth games aren't for everyone, so if you just want action, play an action game already.
it gives you the time to think out a strategy to the situation at hand
But basically my strategy is "okay, I'm creeping to the next shadow...slowly." It's not like I've got my astrolabe and star chart out, planning a clever assault on the fleet. I'm just walking, and walking is boring. Right?